Surface water quality standards table of contents

DEP 2010 SURFACE WATER QUALITY STANDARDS 62-302

CHAPTER 62-302

SURFACE WATER QUALITY STANDARDS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE

62-302.100 Findings, Declaration and Intent. (Repealed) 2

62-302.200 Definitions. 2

62-302.300 Findings, Intent and Antidegradation Policy for Surface Water Quality. 5

62-302.400 Classification of Surface Waters, Usage, Reclassification, Classified Waters. 9

62-302.500 Surface Waters: Minimum Criteria, General Criteria. 22

62-302.510 Surface Waters: General Criteria. (Repealed) 24

62-302.520 Thermal Surface Water Criteria. 24

62-302.530 Table: Surface Water Quality Criteria. 28

62-302.540 Water Quality Standards for Phosphorus Within the Everglades Protection Area. 51

62-302.600 Classified Waters. (Repealed) 57

62-302.700 Special Protection, Outstanding Florida Waters, Outstanding National Resource Waters. 57

62-302.800 Site Specific Alternative Criteria. 78

62-302.100 Findings, Declaration and Intent. (Repealed)

Specific Authority 403.061, 403.062, 403.087, 403.504, 403.704, 403.804, 403.805 FS. Law Implemented 403.021, 403.061, 403.085, 403.086, 403.087, 403.088, 403.101, 403.141, 403.161, 403.182, 403.502, 403.702, 403.708, 403.802 FS. History - New 5-29-90, Formerly 17-302.100, Repealed 12-26-96.

62-302.200 Definitions.

(1) “Acute Toxicity” shall mean a concentration greater than one-third (1/3) of the amount lethal to 50% of the test organisms in 96 hours (96 hr LC₅₀) for a species protective of the indigenous aquatic community for a substance not identified in paragraph 62-302.500(1)(c), F.A.C., or for mixtures of substances, including effluents.

(2) "Annual Average Flow" is the long-term harmonic mean flow of the receiving water, or an equivalent flow based on generally accepted scientific procedures in waters for which such a mean cannot be calculated. For waters for which flow records have been kept for at least the last three years, "long-term" shall mean the period of record. For all other waters, "long-term" shall mean three years (unless the Department finds the data from that period not representative of present flow conditions, based on evidence of land use or other changes affecting the flow) or the period of records sufficient to show a variation of flow of at least three orders of magnitude, whichever period is less. For nontidal portions of rivers and streams, the harmonic mean (Q_hm) shall be calculated as

Q_hm = ^{n __} ,

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + + 1

Q₁ Q₂ Q₃ Q₄ Q_n

in which each Q is an individual flow record and n is the total number of records. In lakes and reservoirs, the annual average flow shall be based on the hydraulic residence time, which shall be calculated according to generally accepted scientific procedures, using the harmonic mean flows for the inflow sources. In tidal estuaries and coastal systems or tidal portions of rivers and streams, the annual average flow shall be determined using methods described in EPA publication no. 600/6-85/002b pages 142 - 227, incorporated by reference in 62-4.246(9)(k), or by other generally accepted scientific procedures, using the harmonic mean flow for any freshwater inflow. If there are insufficient data to determine the harmonic mean then the harmonic mean shall be estimated by methods as set forth in the EPA publication Technical Support Document for Water Quality-Based Toxics Control (March 1991), incorporated by reference in 62-4.246(9)(d), or other generally accepted scientific procedures. In situations with seasonably variable effluent discharge rates, hold-and-release treatment systems, and effluent-dominated sites, annual average flow shall mean modeling techniques that calculate long-term average daily concentrations from long-term individual daily flows and concentrations in accordance with generally accepted scientific procedures.

(3) "Background" shall mean the condition of waters in the absence of the activity or discharge under consideration, based on the best scientific information available to the Department.

(4) “Chronic Toxicity”

(a) For a substance without an aquatic life-based criterion in Rule 62-302.530, F.A.C., and where chronic toxicity studies evaluating the toxicity of the substance are available, or for mixtures of substances, including effluents, chronic toxicity shall mean the concentration that equals or exceeds the IC₂₅ on species protective of the indigenous aquatic community; or

(b) For a substance without an aquatic life-based criterion in Rule 62-302.530, F.A.C., and where chronic toxicity studies evaluating the toxicity of the substance on species protective of the indigenous aquatic community are not available, the chronic toxicity of a substance shall be established as a concentration greater than one-twentieth (1/20) of the amount lethal to 50% of the test organisms in 96 hours (96 hr LC ₅₀) for a species protective of the indigenous aquatic community.

(5) “Commission” shall mean the Environmental Regulation Commission.

(6) “Compensation Point for Photosynthetic Activity” shall mean the depth at which one percent of the light intensity at the surface remains unabsorbed. The light intensities at the surface and subsurface shall be measured simultaneously by irradiance meters such as the Kahlsico Underwater Irradiameter, Model No. 268 WA 310 or other devices having a comparable spectral response.

(7) “Department” shall mean the Department of Environmental Protection.

(8) “Designated Use” shall mean the present and future most beneficial use of a body of water as designated by the Environmental Regulation Commission by means of the Classification system contained in this Chapter.

(9) “Dissolved Metal” shall mean the metal fraction that passes through a 0.45 micron filter.

(10) “Effluent Limitation” shall mean any restriction established by the Department on quantities, rates or concentrations of chemical, physical, biological or other constituents which are discharged from sources into waters of the State.

(11) “Exceptional Ecological Significance” shall mean that a water body is a part of an ecosystem of unusual value. The exceptional significance may be in unusual species, productivity, diversity, ecological relationships, ambient water quality, scientific or educational interest, or in other aspects of the ecosystem’s setting or processes.

(12) “Exceptional Recreational Significance” shall mean unusual value as a resource for outdoor recreation activities. Outdoor recreation activities include, but are not limited to, fishing, boating, canoeing, water skiing, swimming, scuba diving, or nature observation. The exceptional significance may be in the intensity of present recreational usage, in an unusual quality of recreational experience, or in the potential for unusual future recreational use or experience.

(13) “Existing Uses” shall mean any actual beneficial use of the water body on or after November 28, 1975.

(14) “IC₂₅”or “Inhibition Concentration 25%” shall mean the concentration of toxicant that causes a 25% reduction in a biological response such as biomass, growth, fecundity, or reproduction in the test population when compared to the control population response.

(15) “Man-induced conditions which cannot be controlled or abated” shall mean conditions that have been influenced by human activities, and

(a) Would remain after removal of all point sources,

(b) Would remain after imposition of best management practices for non-point sources, and

(c) Cannot be restored or abated by physical alteration of the water body, or there is no reasonable relationship between the economic, social and environmental costs and the benefits of restoration or physical alteration.

(16) “Natural Background” shall mean the condition of waters in the absence of man-induced alterations based on the best scientific information available to the Department. The establishment of natural background for an altered waterbody may be based upon a similar unaltered waterbody or on historical pre-alteration data.

(17) “Nuisance Species” shall mean species of flora or fauna whose noxious characteristics or presence in sufficient number, biomass, or areal extent may reasonably be expected to prevent, or unreasonably interfere with, a designated use of those waters.

(18) “Nursery Area of Indigenous Aquatic Life” shall mean any bed of the following aquatic plants, either in monoculture or mixed: Halodule wrightii, Halophila spp., Potamogeton spp. (pondweed), Ruppia maritima (widgeon-grass), Sagittaria spp. (arrowhead), Syringodium filiforme (manatee-grass), Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass), or Vallisneria spp. (eel-grass), or any area used by the early-life stages, larvae and post-larvae, of aquatic life during the period of rapid growth and development into the juvenile states.

(19) “Outstanding Florida Waters” shall mean waters designated by the Environmental Regulation Commission as worthy of special protection because of their natural attributes.

(20) “Outstanding National Resources Waters” shall mean waters designated by the Environmental Regulation Commission that are of such exceptional recreational or ecological significance that water quality should be maintained and protected under all circumstances, other than temporary lowering and the lowering allowed under Section 316 of the Federal Clean Water Act.

(21) “Pollution” shall mean the presence in the outdoor atmosphere or waters of the state of any substances, contaminants, noise, or man-made or man-induced alteration of the chemical, physical, biological or radiological integrity of air or water in quantities or levels which are or may be potentially harmful or injurious to human health or welfare, animal or plant life, or property, including outdoor recreation.

(22) “Predominantly Fresh Waters” shall mean surface waters in which the chloride concentration at the surface is less than 1,500 milligrams per liter.

(23) “Predominantly Marine Waters” shall mean surface waters in which the chloride concentration at the surface is greater than or equal to 1,500 milligrams per liter.

(24) “Propagation” shall mean reproduction sufficient to maintain the species’ role in its respective ecological community.

(25) “Secretary” shall mean the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.

(26) “Shannon-Weaver Diversity Index” shall mean: negative summation (from i = 1 to s) of (n_i/N) log₂ (n_i/N) where s is the number of species in a sample, N is the total number of individuals in a sample, and ni is the total number of individuals in species i.

(27) “Special Waters” shall mean water bodies designated in accordance with Rule 62-302.700, F.A.C., by the Environmental Regulation Commission for inclusion in the Special Waters Category of Outstanding Florida Waters, as contained in Rule 62-302.700, F.A.C. A Special Water may include all or part of any water body.

(28) “Surface Water” means water upon the surface of the earth, whether contained in bounds created naturally or artificially or diffused. Water from natural springs shall be classified as surface water when it exits from the spring onto the earth’s surface.

(29) “Total Recoverable Metal” shall mean the concentration of metal in an unfiltered sample following treatment with hot dilute mineral acid.

(30) “Water quality criteria” shall mean elements of State water quality standards, expressed as constituent concentrations, levels, or narrative statements, representing a quality of water that supports the present and future most beneficial uses.

(31) “Water quality standards” shall mean standards composed of designated present and future most beneficial uses (classification of waters), the numerical and narrative criteria applied to the specific water uses or classification, the Florida antidegradation policy, and the moderating provisions contained in this rule and in Chapter 62-4, F.A.C., adopted pursuant to Chapter 403, F.S.

(32) “Waters” shall be as defined in Section 403.031(13), F.S.

(33) “Zone of Mixing” or “Mixing Zone” shall mean a volume of surface water containing the point or area of discharge and within which an opportunity for the mixture of wastes with receiving surface waters has been afforded.

Specific Authority 403.061, 403.087, 403.504, 403.704, 403.804, 403.805 FS. Law Implemented 403.021, 403.031, 403.061, 403.062, 403.085, 403.086, 403.087, 403.088, 403.502, 403.802 FS. History–New 5-29-90, Amended 2-13-92, Formerly 17-302.200, Amended 1-23-95, 5-15-02, 4-2-08.